screen resolution or graphics card

is there a whole lot of difference between a wxga screen and an wsxga screen? I can either get a computer with an wsxga screen and ati x1400 or a computer with wxga screen and an ati x1600. I was wondering which would work/look better when playing newer games, and which would be the smarter buy.

 

There is a signifigant difference between WXGA and WSXGA+ yes, especially on a 15.4". Screen resolution is personal preference; in my opinion, WSXGA+ is great and quite readable. I'm not sure what screen resolution you use now. It will probably be hard to find a 15.4" notebook with a WSXGA+ to see in person.

For most games, especially newer ones, you'll probably have to run at ~WXGA, but for the older games, a WSXGA+ resolution would be quite manageable.

 

thanks for the info, one last little bit though... would the superior graphics card be able to sort of offset the inferior screen? out of the screen quality and graphics card quality, which would be more important in getting good images (especially in newer games)?

 

Depends on what you mean by "good images".

The screen can only manage one fixed resolution, and no amount of graphics cards can change that. Also, the clarity of colours, as well as brightness, contrast depends 100% on the screen. The graphics card mostly just determines the detail levels you can set in your games.

 

If you're planing to do some good gaming with the notebook you should definitle get the one with the x1600 because even with that videocard you wont play latest games to well on native WSXGA resolution; but if you're not going to do some serius gaming go with the one with x1400, will be enought for most games and the diference in the quality of the screen while you're dping some common task will be definitle better.

 

A better graphics card would be able to play more games at higher resolutions, but you would have to get a high-end card like the Nvidia Go7900GS or Radeon X1800 to be able to play at WSXGA+ in the newest games.
As posted, the X1600 will be a very fast card.

 

I dont get why u keep reffering to the wxga screen as inferior to teh wsxga one. Thats purely resolution, it has nothing to do with quality and brightness. xga is smaller resolution than sxga, thats it, its not worse, better, brighter, shinyer, etc...

So its a matter of prefference, as to waht u feel is more comfortable for ur eyes, smaller or bigger text. If that doesnt matter, then I would get the more powerful gpu.